Anastasiia Yalanskaya: Russian troops reportedly gun down Ukrainian volunteer in the street
A Ukrainian woman was gunned down by Russian troops just outside Kyiv while she was on her way back from a dog shelter where she went to deliver food. According to Anastasiia Yalanskaya’s family and friends, Russian troops may have deliberately targeted her vehicle at close-range.
“I asked her to be extra cautious. That nowadays, a mistake costs extremely much,” her husband, Yevhen Yalanskyi, said. “But she was helping everyone around. I asked her to think of evacuation but she did not listen.” The shelter that Yalanskaya had gone to had reportedly been going without food for as many as three days.
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"She was committed to help"
Not much is known about Yalanskaya, except that she was one of the three volunteers delivering food to Bucha, located around 18 miles outside of Kyiv. Riddled with bullets, Yalanskaya’s car was found near the house of a man she was volunteering with. “She was one of the best human beings I knew. She was committed to help, to help her friends and relatives and whoever needed help,” her husband said. “She loved animals. We had a dog and a cat. She was the best partner I ever had.” Yalanskaya Facebook profile documents her love for animals.
In a Facebook post, Yalanskaya colleague Marta Olovets wrote, "I lost my beloved colleague Anastasiia Yalanskaya yesterday. During messaging Anastasiia unexpectedly stopped writing in the middle of her message to me. I suddenly felt panic settle over me (I knew she was in Irpin (a suburb area located 18 miles (30 km) outside of Kyiv) a place that was heavily fought over. Last three days of her life, she has been making several trips a day, bringing supplies to needed areas around Kyiv. Anything from baby diapers to dog food. I am proud to have had such a brave colleague"
"I am continuing to help Ukraine even though I am not currently there. Daniil Bratchenko, Nataliya Glidden, and I gave our cars to two volunteers bringing children and women out of dangerous areas and bringing supplies to much-needed places," she added.
Merciless killings
In another instance of merciless killing by Russian troops, a Ukrainian cop's family, including his six-year-old daughter and his newborn baby, were shot dead as the cop's brother heard it all on a phone call. The 30-year-old policeman, Oleg Fedko, was working in the Kherson region when his partner and his parents picked up his kids to ensure they were safe. The brothers' 56-year-old parents were killed, so was the cop's partner, Irina, 27. Their two kids, baby Ivan and six-year-old Sofia, were also slaughtered.
Just days ago, a Ukrainian schoolgirl was gunned down by Russian saboteurs in her family car alongside her parents, local reports have claimed. Polina was a 4th-grade girl from Kyiv and was with her family and two siblings in their car when it came under fire from a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group. Over 300 civilians have already been killed in Ukraine, the country's health ministry has said. Over 1,000 people, including more than 100 children, have been wounded. Authorities have reportedly been handing out weapons to anyone who wishes to defend the city.